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11.25.2015

I am very impressed with the items Target has put out for Christmas this year. They really did an amazing job from the bows and ribbons to the boxes and gift wrap. Take a look at these cute jingle bells with bows that are so cute and with a price of $2.00 they are perfect.

They match my Nutcracker set. I picked this one up at HomeGoods just last week for $12.99. I can not believe the prices of all the Nutcrackers at HomeGoods. Every time I go into the store I find another one I want but I really do try to only purchase 2 new ones each year.

I just love the look of the bows tied on the napkins. It gives it such a sweet elegant look and matches everything perfectly.

I hope you are able to find these for your table decorations or to place on gifts!

You can see in my video below how I added this special touch which brought it to the next level!

See you next time when I bring you another great tip for your Christmas Holiday!

11.19.2015

I am very excited to take part in a Youtube Collab to share our Favorite Thing About Christmas and I want to share my kitchen table. I love to decorate every part of my house for the Holidays. This year I plan to bring you along as I decorate each room. My hopes is you will be able to take lots of ideas my my decorating.

This year for my kitchen table I went with a black and white theme. If you have followed me during the year you know I love all things black and white! I love that the only thing on my table that is actually Christmas are the Nutcrackers and two ornaments. You don't have to spend a lot to get the look you want. You can also use items that fit all during the year and not just Christmas.

I usually only pick up my Nutcrackers the day after Christmas when I go on my after Christmas shopping spree. This were I found these two at HomeGoods and could not believe they were only $12.99 a piece!

My small center plates are from the Nate Berkus Collection several years ago when Target offered them at Christmas. I use them in so many different ways.

I love that the set came with two different patterns so every other plate I mix and match it. He really did a great job with this set.

I added the pop of dark red with the napkins and the Christmas ornaments in the center. I think its the perfect touch of color to break up the black and white look.

I am really pleased with the way this years kitchen table came together. I can't wait until you see all of my other rooms!

Take a look at my video below for a detailed look. I hope you enjoy and be sure to subscribe to my channel so you don't miss anything this Christmas Season!

11.13.2015

I love to cook my bacon in the oven so the pieces come out nice and flat. It comes out perfect every single time.......except for this time. I recently purchased a new stove so of course I want to keep it as shiny as the first day they delivered it. I was cooking bacon in the oven and when I opened the door I did not give it time to let the smoke air out from the bacon grease that dripped in the larger pan. I pulled it out and my eyes immediately shut tight. I could not see anything but I did know I had a very hot cookie sheet with grease on it tip to the right and left. Seeing how I was barefoot I poured the grease forward and I jumped back. All of the grease went right on the door of my brand new oven. I can not tell you what a blessing it was that I did not burn my feet. I used a trick I have used for other purposes around my house and it worked like a charm.Here it is! Start by taking a scoop full of baking soda and placing in a bowl. Add a little bit of water at a time until you get a very thick paste.

Then you will take a soft brush and place over the oven door where the grease is. Use the brush lightly but do not scrub. You do not want to scratch the glass.

Let this sit for about 2 minutes and then take a bowl with warm water and a towel and start removing the baking soda. Wipe it until all of the baking soda is removed. The key is to let it dry and then buff it with a dry cloth to remove any baking soda residue. One tip- do not use the self-cleaning oven feature until you remove the grease. The amount of smoke and burnt smell will stay for days. How do I know this? Just trust me!

I just love how it looks as clean as it did the first day I purchased it!

Take a look at my video below to see step by step instructions as I clean the grease from my oven. I was so thankful this worked and my oven looks brand new!

11.09.2015

Once you get in a habit of sitting down and planning out your meals weekly its just easy. I can tell you I do not do all of my shopping for a week at a time. I usually shop twice a week and thats what works for us. I have tried shopping for a week at a time but twice a week works for me. I never want to get board with my meals and sometimes I find if I box us in to what we are having for a complete week its just not fun. As a working mom and wife you find all kinds of ways to have fun with making meals so you and your family enjoy them!

Here is a look at what we had for dinner for Week 12! I also included how we packed lunch for the week to help give you some ideas, You can see that in the video link at the end of this post. For the recipe just click the word HERE and it will send you to the recipe link page. One of my new favorite places is the new Whole Foods that just opened up this past month in my city. I pick up my Salmon in the freezer section and its a pack of 6 perfectly sized fillets for $19.99. I am sure you can find this at any local grocery store but I really do like the taste of the ones from Whole Foods.

Above you can see a look at the Fall Brunch video I mentioned in todays post! We had such a great time and it was so easy to put together. Below is a photo of one of my favorite dishes. Its my Honey Hoisin Salmon and its wonderful! I hope you give this one a try!

11.07.2015

This is such an awesome way to make a healthy pizza and a new fun twist. I take a piece of the Flat Outs bread and give it a quick grill on both sides.

You can purchase a Rotisserie Chicken or make an indoor grilled chicken boneless breast like I did for my recipe. Sprinkle it with a little olive oil and spices of your choice. Before placing the chicken on the bread put a light coat of ranch dressing as your sauce. Cut the chicken into stripes and place on your Flat-out. Layer with bacon, salad mix, tomato, cheese and top with a touch of ranch. I used an arugula salad mix and Pepper Jack Cheese.

The best part is you can take all of your items in a lunch container anyplace your Flat-out in a sandwich bag and make a wrap! Heats up perfect in the microwave.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and keep an eye out for many more to come your way!

11.04.2015

Here is a peak at the Mini Cinnamon Roll Waffles on a Stick that I made for my recent Fall Brunch which I served outside on my screen porch. Now that it is fall, its the perfect time to use my porch to entertain. The waffles on a stick are the perfect new fun food to serve and is now a family favorite.

Ingredients

Heat waffle maker. Grease generously with oil.Separate dough into 5 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into fourths, and gently shape them into mini cinnamon roll shapes. Space dough pieces diagonally apart from one another, fitting 2 to 4 pieces on waffle maker. Close lid of waffle maker.Bake 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked. Using wooden kitchen utensil, carefully remove to cooling rack. Repeat with remaining cinnamon roll dough, greasing waffle maker and dough each timeThread 4 waffle pieces on each wooden skewer. Heat the icing for about 15 seconds and then pour over waffles. Sprinkle waffles with powdered sugar.

I hope you have the chance to make these and enjoy them. Be sure to check out my Youtube video below on what everything looked like the day of the brunch. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss out!You can also see the video from our brunch here!

I am very excited to offer you a new feature on my blog. You can now go below and click print for a copy of the recipe. This allows you to print just the recipe and not have pages of photos! I am so excited to now be able to offer this on all future recipes!

11.03.2015

I decided to welcome Fall with a Saturday morning brunch on my back porch. Here is a little peak into the set up.

I was very excited to use my new coffee carafe that I picked up last week at Target on clearance. I also picked up the orange tray that was part of the matching plaid collection they offered this year. I have so many ideas on how I would like to use each piece.

This is a slate leaf that I picked up from Crate and Barrel about two weeks ago and its still available on their website now. Its actually on clearance which is a better price than I picked it up for. I have to say that its one of my favorite new additions for Fall.

I love the look of my patio table. Its ready for to sit down and enjoy a wonderful brunch that I prepared. The key is.......EASY RECIPES! Everything that I put together was so easy to make but its the little touches that made my family feel special.

You can dress up a look just by adding touches of gold through out your pieces. From this lid to the plates just a touch of gold helps to give this rustic look a dressy look.

Now lets talk food!

The key to make this easy was making recipes that could be be together quickly. Then using my favorite serving platers to dress them up. `

Below you can see the Cinnamon Rolls from the can that you make in the waffle maker and its my families new favorite! So easy and so yummy! I will be posting the recipe on my blog right after this post.

I love this potting bench that I purchased from Walmart.com and best of all I used my Walmart app that you scan your receipts to after each purchase. If someone else beats their price you get money put in your app to turn into a Walmart gift card. Well over a 10 month period I saved up $98.00 and this bench was $99.00 with free shipping so I only paid tax!!!

I love to place my condiments in special ramekins instead of just placing the bottles on the table. This is such an easy way to make your guest feel you put out extra special touches.

I love this arrangement that I picked up from Hobby Lobby. The silver tin was purchased from Target in the $3.00 section. Fun story, I actually found this on a business trip and stuffed it in my suit case to fly back home. I had to have it!

The Give Thanks sign on the top is from Kirklands. I purchased it just this week on clearance with their 75% off fall sale. I love how it fits perfectly with my theme.

Take a look below at my video from my Youtube channel on a look into our day. I hope you are able to take away ideas on how you can put this together.